Nebraska Rest Stop

Phil finally stopped for me! Thank goodness Nebraska has these wonderful rest areas!

Day 5 Nebraska to South Dakota

"Oh Beautiful for spacious skies and amber waves of grain..." and today we saw many spacious skies and amber waves of grass all in the Sandhills of Nebraska on our way to South Dakota. Beautiful trip--a tiny narrow 2 lane road, peaceful, quiet, and full of solitude. We put on a little "Willie" and enjoyed the drive. The Sandhills, 19,000 square miles, is the largest tract of stabilized sand dunes in the Western Hemisphere! We made a stop in the small town of Arthur to talk to some of the old-timers (since we are also old-timers) One fella told Phil that out of the 10 most desolate counties in the US, we were passing through numbers 3, 4, 5, and 6! Numbers 1 and 2 are in West Texas! He was correct--very desolate, but beautiful country. Some dunes, and you cannot tell they are made of sand, rise up as much as 400 feet and are 20 miles wide. The wind was at our back most of the day, and blowing briskly...you could hear it whistling through the hills when we stopped. No AC needed for most of the day. This was true horse and cattle country. I saw my first REAL cowboys riding out to check their herd! (I'm still looking for you Dorothy!--sorry, inside joke with my sister!)
Yesterday and today we saw a curious sight. Boots placed upside down on fence posts for miles!
I had googled it on my trusty iPhone and not found a consistent answer--did find these: 1) the boots may deter coyotes. 2) It's better to stink up a fencepost than a house. 3) Some people just do things. We had just seen more boots today when we stopped in Arthur to chat with the old folks...they said the boots were there to outline the cemetery, and the boots represent the Cowboys who have "gone West"! I guess that is Arthur's version! Anyway it was fun to see! What else do you do with old boots? I'll include a picture, since my Aggie Jeremy says more pictures, less words!
I made Phil stop at Carhenge (picture included)...they say it is an exact replica of Stone Henge, just happens to be made with cars painted a stone grey!...I'll let you travelers that have been to England be the judge of that! Let me know! ;-) After the hills, we went through the Pine Ridge Area of Nebraska, just for a bit. Large juts of rocks here and there with many pine trees. Pretty. One very sad thing about this area- The Pine Bark Beetle (he has killed a few of our trees at home too) has devastated many trees in NE and South Dakota. In some areas it looks like a forest fire has destroyed the trees. You would think that someone would find a "cure" for that beetle!
Hot Springs and Custer South Dakota are beautiful, old western looking towns (not corny Western but real). Hot Springs has many buildings made with red rocks--very old architecture and pretty. I hope we have time to go back to Custer and look around more.
Sighted our first Buffalo and prairie dogs. I got so excited about the buffalo in the distance, and started shooting away (photos), zooming in as much as I could. Rounded the next corner and had to stop because they were crossing the road right in front of us! Then a little further down, they were all standing, resting, etc. right beside the road! I guess they are going to become boring after a while since they are so plentiful.
Enjoying the Non-humidity--my lips are chapped, but my hair looks really great, so I guess it is a fair trade off! ;-)
Phil and I have "not seen the elephant" yet. (that is what the pioneers said when they made the decision to turn around and go back home) Our main problem is that there is so much to see and just not enough hours! We think we have tomorrow and the next day mapped out here at Rushmore, hoping for more good adventure. I had no idea the area was so full of fabulous drives to make and things to see. I hope we can hit the highlights.
With that I will close for the evening...no more news from the McCamper where the women are much stronger today, the men are cooking supper (!), and the children are still at home wishing mom would post more pictures and use less "big words"! haha!

Day 4 Ogallala, NE and Going West

"Hooome, home on the range, where the deer and the ANTELOPE play..." saw our first antelope today from a distance, sure we'll see many more, but it was a thrill.
Been a day full of Emotion! First, as we were leaving for our western side trip of the "Western Trails Scenic and Historic Byway" our truck showed no oil pressure. Added oil, no luck. Nursed the truck back to campsite, hopefully to find a diesel mechanic that might be open on Sunday. No such thing in Ogallala. Pretty much decided that we would go no where today! Started thinking, and did some searching on the internet. Found a website called askford.com...you can put in questions to Ford diesel mechanics and they will answer them. Believe it or not, found out what was wrong and how to fix it with pictures included for only a $9.00 fee!! We were back ready to roll by 11:40! Meanwhile I got a call from my sister, Dorothy, telling me that my Aunt Dorothy Mae Scott MacLean had passed away at 1 AM. She has put up a valiant fight against the cancer that invaded and destroyed her body. I must say that I have been shedding tears through out the day, but know that she is in a mansion in heaven with her beloved Mac!
Other than the morning drama, the day was good! We traveled the Western trail that ran along the path of the Oregon Trail, Mormon Trail, Pony Express, fur traders, and the '49ers. Talk about an area full of history! I have always thought of myself as somewhat of a Southern Bell, or an adventurous Pioneer Woman, but after today's history lesson, I think I will give up that thought of the pioneer woman! What those emigrants endured! We followed the North Platte River Valley for the 155 mile journey, stopping several times along the way. Between 1842 and 1859 it is estimated that 20,000 emigrants died along the trail, or about 1 in every 10! We explored several of the landmarks the pioneers used to find the route to the west...Courthouse Rock, Jail House Rock, Chimney Rock and Scott's Bluff were the most interesting. Will post some pictures of these too! The Platte river is unlike any I have ever seen, with many little islands here and there through the river. But, it does look like it is moving a good clip. We are going through the Sand Hills tomorrow on our way to South Dakota!
Ogallala means, "to scatter one's own" from the Oglala Sioux Indian tribe as my friend Paula reminded me! We taught about those Indians together in Calallen! Thanks Paula! Phil thinks Ogallala means something else, "too many flies"! We have seen more flies here! Also, another first on my list...I think I have seen my first Cherry tree planted in front of 2 different small town courthouses around here, full of cherries not quite ripe. I asked a lady at a convenience store if it was in fact a cherry tree, and she had no idea! Can you believe that? Should have taken a picture...duh!
One thing that Nebraska has on Texas...they have the most beautiful Historical Markers on the roadsides! They are LARGE enough to easily read, painted a beautiful blue, with the print easy to read, with a beautifully painted white and gold medallion. And...they all have turn outs to make them easy to get to! We stopped at many today as our route was extremely historical!
Guess I will close for now...and about my usual closing---after talking to Jeremy today, some of you may not even begin to know where it comes from...you must listen to Garrison Keillor, a humorist that reports the news of his fictional boyhood town, Lake Woebegon, Michigan and always closes with, "so that is the news from Lake Woebegon, where the women are all strong, the men are all handsome, and all the children are above average." They are fabulously funny! We listened to one of his audio books on the way up here. So, with that explanation I'll close for now...that is the news from McCamper, where the women are NOT so strong today (except she knows how to fix a diesel truck from the internet!!), the men are still moderately handsome, and of course the children are all above average, and their momma misses them all!

Day 3 Kansas to Nebraska

“Toto—I don’t think we are in Kansas anymore” and neither are the McCormicks! Left the campsite at 7:40 this morning, with a cool 60 degrees and overcast. Phil is convinced that RV park is haunted. As I finally drifted off to sleep last night around midnight, the carbon monoxide alarm went off…not sure why, but was glad I woke up alive this morning ;-) —I had visions of the RV park manager—a burly, old, tough guy discovering our bodies weeks later! Also, during the night, or early morning, Phil woke me up banging around on the toilet that had decided to stop delivering water (or so he says..I think he might have been dreaming!)…other water in the camper was running fine. Still a mystery since all was well this morning.

I 70, a long, long highway, running east and west through the state, had several interesting sites…miles and miles and hundreds of Wind Chargers. I am sorry it was too foggy to photograph. A store clerk we chatted with said they are owned by 4 different companies and supply the larger cities of Kansas with power. Also we started spotting fences with concrete looking posts, obviously old, old fences…then we decided that maybe they were stone posts and not concrete at all. Thanks to my iPhone I googled “stone posts in Kansas” and got educated once again! Early settlers here had no trees to use for fence posts. Digging down they discovered a layer of limestone, about 18” down. The limestone was soft enough to cut, but when exposed to air, hardened. They cut the stones for their fence posts—weighing between 300-400 pounds each, 6 foot long, buried 2 feet in the ground, and about 12 “ square. Some dug their own stone and others sold the posts for 25 cents each. While we were stopped so I could photograph them, a Kansas State Trooper, Trooper Ney, stopped to see if we were ok. Phil was just a little nervous and started his “fast” talking!! But Troope Ney was a very friendly guy (cute redhead too!) We talked about the posts, and he told us of a Cathedral up the road we should stop to see…”Cathedral of the Plains” in Victoria, Kansas. Worth the exit!! The Cathedral was built around 1909 totally of this same limestone. During the construction, along with raising $132,000 parishioners were required to haul in 6 wagon loads of the stone, each stone weighing 100 pounds. And we think our work is hard! Trooper Ney also told us that we were seeing Kansas at its finest, still nice and green and cool….we appreciate that!

Nebraska has an interesting landscape...gently rolling plains--mostly treeless. Now I understand how in the Cowboy movies the outlaws or the Indians could just lay down and not be seen---like Gus in "Lonesome Dove" Haven't run in to him yet btw! Saw several houses built into the sides of these small hills like dugouts. And saw many farm houses with several rows of evergreen trees planted about 50 yards from the north side of the house--snow drift breaks! interesting!

Important event today at 2:41 central time, or 1:41 Mountain time (which we are in now)---we hit our 1,000 mile mark! hard to believe!

Ogallala, NE is a cute little town...after setting up at the RV park (hope this one is not haunted!) we took out to see the local town Mansion, Boot Hill and Front Street... Somewhat rinky dink, but still fun. Tomorrow is a big scenic route day and I am excited that we get to spend 2 nights in the same place. We are really getting good at setting up and tearing down!

For all my fellow scrapbookers out there, I am printing pictures as we go, and hope to arrive home with an almost completed book! We'll see what happens!

so that is all for now from the McCamper....where the women are strong, the men are handsome and the children are all above average and still at home--but Jeremy called and wises he were here.

Day 2 Oklahoma to Kansas

"Goin' to Kansas City....Kansas City here I come!" --except we are NOT going to Kansas City, but this was the only Kansas song I could think of!
If you live and drive in Texas, you should be very, very proud of your roads and highways. Up here, some places, not so great! Lots of bumps and dips, but the camper is really riding nicely!
This morning as we drove from Oklahoma City towards Kansas, "the winds WERE sweeping down the plains", straight against us....9 miles a gallon is tough! But the day couldn't have been more pleasant, cool, slightly cloudy so it wasn't too bright. I did like the rest of Oklahoma that we traveled through, much nicer than I expected, after hearing reports from many about how boring and barren Oklahoma was before we left Texas--must be some of that OU rivalry coming through. Reading a short synopsis of each town as we drove through, I discovered that many of these towns were established in 1 day, some becoming populated by 20,000 people in one single day in a tent city on the plains! and this was how town after town got started! I had no conception of what the Land Rush must have been like---except from watching the movie "Far and Away"--Tom Cruise, Nicole Kiddman, directed by Ron Howard--great movie by the way! But, as a friend reminded me--the poor Indians!
I liked the looks of Kansas too. We got off the interstate and headed down a scenic route for much of our drive this morning. Ran across beautiful fields of sunflowers, my favorite flower--as many of you who have seen my laundry room can attest to! Stopped on the side of a small road and took pictures...but alas, the sun was still in the East, and the flowers were turned away from us. Wish I had been brave enough to troop out into the field, but worried about snakes!
Thanks to my friend Mary Alice we took a side trip to Lindsborg, KS. I am so delighted we did! Thanks Mary Alice! The town is called "Little Sweden USA", and was a wonderful stop. Had the most delicious homemade chicken/noodle casserole for lunch! All around the town are large hand painted Wild Dalas (carved wooden horses painted in the traditional Swedish folk art style). They are all over town, painted in different ways. We visited a few shops and talked to the locals learning some of the history of the area. Phil really bonded with the man who owned the clock shop, "Ye Old Clock Shop" and promised to send him his Dad's old clock parts! The man was delighted and said that the parts would be put to good use, as his mission was to teach young folks about antique clocks---someone has to continue the care and repair!
After our extended stop in Lindsborg, we headed on north up I 135 past Salina, KS, and then West on I 70 to our RV park--setting up about 4:30. We are both pooped so we are staying in tonight, eating cheese, crackers and onions for dinner (Phil's favorite!) Long drive tomorrow across Kansas and then up to Ogallala, NE---wonder if I'll run in to Gus or Capt. Call there? I do love Lonesome Dove and I guess that is the Ogallala they refer to in the book or movie, if not, I'm going to pretend it is!
So, that is the news from the McC Road Trip, where the women are strong, the men handsome and all the children above average, and still at home!

Day 1 cont..

After setting up the camper, and letting the rain stop we went out to explore OK City...WOW! First stop was the Oklahoma City National Memorial, the site of the bombing of the federal building in 1995. I had no idea that the visit would be so moving....an awesome site. We went back at night to get a few night shots as well. Posted 2 pictures--one of the wall where visitors have left mementos and the other one of my night shots. Each lit chair represents one of the victims. Very moving. We also stumbled on an area of town called Heritage Hills...unbelievable!! Street after street of beautiful, huge, restored homes. I have never seen so many in one place before. Then we went down to Brick town to eat dinner and look around. Brick town, so called because all the old buildings are built out of red brick and have withstood the test of time and nature. Most were built right after the OK land rush, and now are the locations of restuarants, shops, etc. A fun place to go. Tired after a long day, but I am going to try to post 2 pictures of the Memorial...hope I can do it! on to Kansas tomorrow! goodnight from the McC Road Trip, where the women are strong, the men are handsome and the children are all above average, but at home!

Day 1--Oklahoma!

"Oooooooooooklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plains"...We have arrived after pulling out of our driveway at 6:15! Haven't seen too many plains yet, nor is the Wind sweeping, maybe tomorrow on our way to Kansas. Of course as we finally found our RV park, Twin Fountains, it started pouring rain! But now that we are set up, it is clear and sunny!
Tom, our new GPS system did us well...we only got slightly lost once when Phil insisted that I35 went to the left! It did NOT, and We learned to listen to Tom from now on!
Going out now to see the Oklahoma City Natl. Memorial, eat a good dinner and back to the camper for a good night's sleep since I got up at 4:30 and Phil at 5:15. More tomorrow when we arrive in Salina, KS.

Tentative Itinerary

Day 1 --August 27
Leave Houston and drive to Oklahoma City, OK
Day 2 --August 28
Salina, KS
Day 3,4 --August 29,30
Ogalla, NE, spend 2 nights in Ogalla
Day 5, 6, 7 --August 31, September 1,2
South Dakota, 3 nights
Day 8 --September 3
Sheridan, WY
Day 9, 10 --September 4,5
Cody, WY, 2 nights
Day 11, 12, 13, 14 --Sept. 6,7,8,9
Yellowstone, 4 nights
Day 15 --September 10
Rawlins, WY
Day 16 --September 11
Glennwood Springs, CO
Day 17 --September 12
Colorado Springs, CO
Day 18, --September 13
Amarillo, TX
Day 19 --September 14
Houston, TX Home Again!
All my planning! We'll see how close I am to being accurate. Of course this all counts on there being no truck or RV problems! And, we may like a place so much that we want to stay an extra day or so. Most important is to keep our Yellowstone reservations!